Shoe for cutter bars



Oct. 21, 1947. H U 2,429,318

- SHOE FOR CUTTER BARS Original Filed March 22, 1945 Bnventor Roam: D. HUME.

(Ittomeg relatively dry conditions.

Patented Oct. 21, 1947 SHGE FOR CUTTER BARS- Horace D. Hume, Mendota, 111.

Original application Mar 479,967. Divided and t ch 22, 1943, Serial No. his application September 11, 1944, Serial No. 553,533

3 Claims. (Cl. 56303),

This invention relates to improvements in a shoe for cutter bars and more particularly relates to shoes useful for supporting the wellknown floating cutter bar and for maintaining its proper spacing above a ground surface over which it is passed in a harvesting operation.

This is a divisional application based on application Serial No. 479,967, Patent No. 2,375,849 filed March 22, 1943 by Horace D. Hume for Shoe for cutter bars.

The floating cutter bar of the type to which this invention is adaptable is illustrated in U. S. Patent No. 1,996,294 issued April 2, 1935, and No. 2,102,710 issued December 31, 1935, to Horace D. Hume and James E, Love, and comprises a push bar swingably mounted adjacent its rear below suitable framework. On a forward end in advance of the pivotal mounting of the push bar,

which is usually used in mutiple numbers, is secured a cutter bar that extends laterally to the direction of travel of harvesting mechanism and in turn supports sickle guards and the sickle. Forming either a part of or attached to the push bar is a series of ground engaging shoes which are intended to slide over the ground surface to determine the spacing of the sickle knives, which are in advance thereof, above the ground and to support and carry the cutter bar and cutting mechanism from a point rearward of Where cutting actually occurs. The equipment of the above mentioned patents is highly useful inmost fields to be harvested, and is particularly useful in the harvesting of field peas, either green or dry, and of other types of crops grown under However, it has been found that the use of equipment of the listed patents in fields having a great deal of moisture in the soil, as well as in the vines, is somewhat limited. Under such circumstances, it is quite common that the fields are sloppy and muddy and that, due to the weight of the equipment pressing down upon the ground supporting shoes, the soil, and particularly mud, will be pressed up around the edges of the shoes and tend to accumulate and to pack in a manner that is extremely undesirable since it weights the cutter bar and limits the floating action. This is particularly true where soil contains a heavy clay content or is a black 10am comprising little or no humus.

Having in mind the defects of the prior art harvesting equipment, it is an object of this invention to provide a shoe that is not easily clogged in use for cutter bars of the floating type.

Another object of my invention is the-provision, in a shoe for cutter bars of the type described, of a self-cleaning member which can be'readily passed over the. ground surface without accumulating: heavy masses of mud or wet soil or other matter to the-detriment of the. harvesting operation.

A still. further and more specific object of my invention is to provide, a shoe for floating cutter bars, a simple structure that is easily formed and readily attached to the'standard equipment now in use in such harvesting mechanisms.

The foregoing objects and other ancillary thereto I prefer to accomplish as follows:

According to a preferred embodiment of my invention, 1 support a cutter bar and the sickle and sickle guard appurtenances upon a shoe having a streamlined cylindric shape adapted to pass over and through wet or moist soil'and vegetation without accumulating a load of suchforeign matter. Specifically, the shoe comprises a cylindrical form body having a forwardly extending lug for the purpose of attachment, a runner base that smoothly merges with the cylindrical body and, preferably, a tapered trailing end that permits the shedding of material that might otherwise gather on the shoe. In certain instances, it is important that between the shoe and its point' of attachment certain resilience be provided to absorb minor shocks and forces which would otherwise be transmitted to the structure supported by the shoeand possibly impair the harvesting operation. At the same time, it is important that the shoe be so constructed that it will not be deformed should it strike a hard or immovable object, such as stones in the field, but will readily passover them and continue to adequately perform the desired functions.

The novel features that I consider characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. self, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in elevation, showing a portion of the operating mechanism of a cutter bar and my shoe for supporting the same;

Figure 2 is a perspective View of the shoe for cutter bars; and.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

A shoe, to support cutter bars and to overcome The invention itthe defects hereinbefore enumerated, must have at least two totally distinct characteristics; it must be capable of supporting the cutting mechanism at a desirable distance above the ground and to do so in a manner that will avoid clogging and the accumulation of foreign matter on the shoe which would impede the operation of a harvester; this being done in the present shoe by reason of its shape, its rounded contour which naturally permits mud or sticky soil to fall away or be removed by ground friction; and under certain circumstances it must provide a resilient support that will prevent the transmission of undesirable forces and shocks to the cutting mechanism. Accordingly, a preferred embodiment of my invention, referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, is constituted by a cutter bar mechanism which is supported by my novel ground-engaging shoe. The cutting mechanism comprises the cutter bar l which is usually a bar of metal that is disposed substantially horizontal to the ground surface and extends laterally across the direction of travel of the harvesting equipment a distance equal to the swath to be out. At spaced intervals along the cutter bar is mounted a plurality of finger guards l2 of any of the varione and Well-known types. Cooperating with the finger guards l2 to cut vegetation is the reciprocal sickle bar l4 and the knives 15.

To the rear edge of bar H1, at spaced intervals therealong, is a plurality of push bars l6 which, as is shown in the above-mentioned Patent No. 2,102,710, are pivotally mounted adjacent their rear ends to a supporting driven structure that advances the cutting mechanism over the ground. It is customary to support the push bar, in certain installations, below a draper frame to which vegetation that is harvested by this equipment is passed, The flexible link l8 suspends the forward end of the push bar, the cutter bar, and other appurtenances from such a draper frame in the event that the frame is raised above the ground a distance beyond which the ground-shoe will function. The cutter bar is secured to the push bars It by attaching clips 46, and bolts 48.

My ground-supporting shoe is indicated as a whole by the numeral 20 and comprises a hollow cylindrical body portion 22 that has a rear tapered trailing end 23 and, on its forward end, an upturned nosing 24 both of which are preferably curved and smoothly merge into the lower cylindrical curved wall of the body 22. Extending forwardly of the body and above the curved nose is an attaching lug 26 perforated at 21 for the reception of the shank of bolt 28 that is passed through the shank of the finger guard and also through the cutter bar and secured in place by means of nut 30. The attaching lug 26, at approximately the point indicated by the numeral 50 is resilient and springy enough to permit the absorption of hard shocks imparted to the shoe,

should it strike a stone in the field, whereby the shoe may deflect upwardly a slight amount and thus prevent transmission of the shocks to the harvester mechanism.

A number of such shoes 20 will ordinarily be mounted throughout the length of the cutter bar in accordance with the conditions over which the harvesting mechanism is to be passed.

Although I have shown and described certain specific embodiments of my invention, I am fully aware that many modifications thereof are possible. My invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except insofar as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A shoe for cutter bars, comprising: a cylindriform substantially straight, ground engaging body having an upturned runnerlike rounded forward nose and a rounded trailing portion and means comprising a fiat lug extending forwardly from the top of said nose for attaching the same to a cutter bar to support said cutterbar.

2. A shoe for cutter bars, comprising: a hollow cylindriform substantially straight, ground engaging body having an upwardly curved nose on the forward end and having a tapered rear end, both ends being smoothly merged into the cylindrical curved wall of the body, 9. lug on said body extending forwardly of the upturned nose and having an opening for the reception of attachment means to secure the shoe to the under side of a cutter bar and for the support of the latter, and a resilient portion between said lug and body.

3. Ground supporting means for cutter bars, comprising: a lug for attachment to a cutter bar, a resilient neck on the rear of said lug, a cylindriform substantially straight, ground engaging body extending rearwardly from said neck and having a forward face sloping downward from the neck to the bottom of the body portion, and an upwardly sweeping converging trailing portion on the rear of said body.

HORACE D. HUME.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 105,311 Crosby July 12, 1870 662,442 Jennings et al Nov. 27, 1900 1,367,367 Franzen Feb. 1, 1921 1,391,181 Franzen Sept. 20, 1921 2,102,710 Hume et al. Dec. 21, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 24,442/35 Australia Sept. 2, 1936 652,808 France Oct. 29, 1928 

